Sucker Garden contractor says nobody contacted him for work

PHILIPSBURG--All Waste In Place Director James Richardson said Wednesday that not one of the Sucker Garden young men, who had protested about not having work on Tuesday, had applied to him or contacted him for work. James said the first time he had heard about the situation was when he had read about it in the media on Tuesday.

Furthermore, Richardson explained that he was not obliged to hire anyone other than the two sub-contractors that work for him. Via contract with government, the companies executing work in the districts are obligated to have two local sub-contractors. When questioned, James said he has two sub-contractors locked down, but declined to say which two.

"If I get NAf. 8 million for my job and another company gets NAf. 19 million, I don't have space to add anybody else more than the two sub-contractors. I'm not obliged to hire anybody more than I have now," Richardson said.

Additionally, Richardson said none of the protesting young men had approached him looking for work or applied. "I have a dossier of over 70 people that applied and none of these guys applied. They cannot say I refused them, because they never approached me," he said, adding that the first time he had heard about them looking for work was when he had read the local media reports.

Responding to criticism by Member of Parliament Romain Laville (see related story), Richardson said, "Laville can say whatever he wants. But I spoke to him about this; if they can find me more money, then I can look at more people. I spoke to him and my brother [Member of Parliament Lloyd Richardson-Ed.] spoke to him. So he can say whatever he wants ? that's the deal."

A group of Sucker Garden youth led by Vice President of the Upper Princess Quarter Community Council Eugene Heyliger organised the "Empty Promises Protest" in Sucker Garden, on Tuesday, to raise awareness of the current job situation for local youth in what he refers to as "the forgotten district" (Sucker Garden).

Angered that the government-contracted company chosen to clean the brush in his area had failed to employ a single youth from his district to do the job that requires no technical training, Heyliger rounded up a group of around 20 youth on Tuesday to seal off the work site on Sucker Garden Road. They did so, with their work tools in hand demonstrating their willingness to work.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/20261-sucker-garden-contractor-says-nobody-contacted-him-for-work.html

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